DEVELOPING: F-18 Fighter Down as Carrier Moves for North Korea

The USS Carl Vinson, which may or may not have been steaming directly toward the tense Korean peninsula as was insinuated weeks ago, has now had its actual position identified due to a near tragedy for the crew of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, or more specifically, one of its fighter pilots.

According to the Times of San Diego, the pilot of an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet was forced to eject from the aircraft into the sea while on final approach for landing, but was rapidly rescued and suffered no major injuries in the incident.

A statement from the Commander of 7th Fleet Public Affairs read: “A pilot safely ejected and was quickly recovered by a helicopter assigned to HSC-4 aboard USS Carl Vinson while conducting routine flight operations during a transit in the Celebes Sea.”

“The incident occurred as the F/A-18E assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 was on final approach to USS Carl Vinson,” the statement continued. “The incident is currently under investigation. The pilot is being assessed by the medical team on board USS Carl Vinson and there are no apparent injuries at this time.”

The Carl Vinson, which is based in San Diego, had been near Singapore a couple of weeks ago when it was reported to have been headed toward North Korea, but was later found to have first rendezvoused with elements of the Royal Australian Navy for a training exercise.

The incident occurred in the Celebes Sea, which is located between the Philippines and Indonesia, a good distance north of Australia but still a long way south of the Korean peninsula.

Thankfully the pilot was quickly recovered unharmed and the carrier strike group will be able to continue on their way to Korea.

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